8. What will be the season's biggest controversy?

Commissioner David Stern hasn't seen the last of the repercussions from the Tim Donaghy betting scandal. AP

Thomsen: Lingering effects of the Tim Donaghy scandal. The story may have moved off the front pages, but millions of fans who bet on basketball haven't forgotten it -- and all season long their complaints about the veracity of NBA officiating will be heard in every league arena.

Burns: All-Star headache. The NBA will take a PR hit at the All-Star Game for the second straight year as some unruly fans get out of control while partying in New Orleans. The good news for David Stern is that Pacman Jones will decide to stay home this year and watch it on TV.

Mannix: Can the NBA make it work in New Orleans? With the All-Star Game coming to the city in February, plenty of focus will be on the Hornets, who left a lucrative and popular Oklahoma City market to return to a still recovering city that didn't support them in the first place. If attendance dwindles, there will be a call to return the team to Oklahoma -- before the Sonics beat them to it.

McCallum: The new flagrant-foul review. There will be reviews of the reviews and no one will be happy ... just like always.

Aschburner: The Donaghy fallout. China will be keeping an eye on the Bucks, people will be taking Kobe's pulse daily, the Sonics soon could be Oklahoma-bound and the Knicks' next sensitivity training session begins in 35 minutes. But in terms of breadth, the referee-gambling scandal isn't going to go away overnight. Stern is taking a more "human'' approach these days to dealing with his officials, but fans around the NBA get emotional and now have the Donaghy mess as ammo for their heckling and grumbles. A league that always preferred its refs be essentially anonymous is going to have them in the spotlight to an uncomfortable degree.

Forrester: A player will be accused of using a performance-enhancing substance. Given the NBA's bad luck, you didn't think the league would escape allegations of doping, did you? As the game has become more defense-oriented, as compared to 30 years ago, the ability to withstand the bumps and bruises dished out each night places a premium on strength and quickness, two aspects of performance that have caught numerous athletes in almost every other sport in the steroid tangle. The NBA's turn is coming.

9. Will Kobe Bryant be traded during the season?

Thomsen: No. Before the February deadline, the Lakers will trade for a star in hopes of returning to contention and appeasing Bryant. But if the results aren't good, then Bryant will force the Lakers to deal him next summer by vowing to opt out in 2009.

Burns: No (more on this below).

Mannix: Yes. With the Lakers having no cap space and limited assets to deal, moving Bryant is a foregone conclusion. The destination likely will depend on Chicago's commitment to Deng, the gold piece in any deal and one that the Bulls (for the moment) are loath to surrender. Expect Bryant to be gone by the All-Star break.

McCallum: No. It just seems too difficult to get this deal done. Chicago is the most obvious destination, but the Bulls will be a surprise team with their current makeup. So we can listen to this through the '08 offseason, though at least the Kobester will be preoccupied with the Olympics.

Aschburner: No. Trades of franchise-level players most often happen in the offseason, when a team like the Lakers can shop him properly and achieve maximum bidding for Bryant's services. Usually it's the second, third, or lower bananas who get moved at the trading deadline. The team acquiring Bryant would give up so much, it would spend a month or more drastically reconfiguring itself to play around him and find proper supporting roles. No contender -- and that's the only sort of team Bryant will approve -- will want to take that risk during the season.

Forrester: Yes. As hard as it may be to believe, the Lakers will finally part ways with Bryant and give almost everyone what they want. Kobe will get to assume the Michael Jordan throne -- literally -- he has long coveted in Chicago. The Bulls will get the superstar their fans want, and the team's East title hopes may need. The Lakers likely will walk away with Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah and Chicago's first-round draft pick in 2008. Well, at least everyone in Chicago will be happy.

10. If you think Kobe is staying, then who will be the biggest name traded during the season?

Thomsen: Jermaine O'Neal, Pacers. The struggling Pacers will move O'Neal (possibly to the Lakers), and if things aren't going well in New Jersey, then the Nets might renew conversations with teams interested in Kidd. Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirilenko and Mike Bibby are obvious candidates as well.

Burns: Jermaine O'Neal. In a blockbuster, the rebuilding Pacers will grant their 6-11 All-Star power forward his wish and trade him to the Lakers for a package of young players and draft picks. O'Neal and Bryant will combine to lead L.A. to the playoffs, but it won't be enough to get the Lakers back to the Finals.

McCallum: O'Neal and Bibby. Both players want out and their respective teams are going nowhere. Perhaps they could be dealt for each other ... and their teams will still go nowhere.

Aschburner: O'Neal. Keeping O'Neal on a Pacers squad going nowhere is a waste of everyone's time. He might, in fact, end up with the Lakers in an attempt to placate Bryant. Otherwise, the choice here is Rasheed Wallace, who seems absolutely determined never to become the great player he could be.